


feels so natural

by desolate_dinosaur



Category: Eleceed (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28441671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desolate_dinosaur/pseuds/desolate_dinosaur
Summary: "I guess loners end up together somehow."- some random classmate from ep. 11
Relationships: Dr. Delein & Wooin, Kayden & Seo Jiwoo, Seo Jiwoo & Wooin, Seo Jiwoo/Wooin
Comments: 10
Kudos: 52





	feels so natural

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Beginnings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22314655) by [Starboy_Lee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starboy_Lee/pseuds/Starboy_Lee). 



> This story was written over a course of at least a month with several breaks due to procrastination and no inspiration. At least, it wasn’t as rushed like my other fanfictions (but was still rushed, LOL), but like the others, it isn’t beta read. Also, I’m bad at writing romances. Considering that the last time I actually wrote a romance fic was at least half a year ago (Grab My Attention, which is a cringey fic, IMO), I might be rusty, especially when I have no experience with romances, fiction or nonfiction. Characters are possibly OOC, considering that this is my first time writing about them.
> 
> By the way, this was inspired by “Beginning” by Starboy_Lee, which I felt like it needed a continuation, considering how it ended with Wooin arriving at Jiwoo’s house and being greeted by him. Where’s the domestic fluff, LOL? You should go check it out though, considering it is the first fanfic written in this fandom.

“Wooin!”

The tall boy stops in his pace and turns around, seeing Jiwoo jogging over to him while waving his hand. Wooin tilts his head in confusion as Jiwoo slows down the closer he gets. There was a faint blush on his cheeks from running, letting out shallow breaths.

“You’re heading home, right?” Jiwoo asks, wiping the sweat off of his chin. The two began walking together in the same direction at a slow pace. They’ve just gotten discharged from the hospital after the incident that happened with the Klein Brothers. Wooin nods his head, not knowing where else to go other than that. His entire life he’d been following Dr. Delein’s orders, stuck by his side. “Then, let’s walk home together!”

Wooin stays silent, before nodding his head, and answering, “Sure,” monotonously. The two of them lived close by each other so they’ll end up walking home in the same direction. Plus, there was no reason to deny him either.

It was getting dark as the two of them walked home. On their way home, the two of them fed some stray cats, until they stopped right in front of Jiwoo’s house. The usually bright teenager slightly frowns, before turning to face Wooin, who was waiting for Jiwoo to enter inside.

“Wooin—” said name tilts his head, wondering what’s causing Jiwoo to hesitate going inside— “do you want to stay with me for the time being?” Jiwoo asks bluntly, a worried expression written over his face. Wooin widens his eyes in surprise. Jiwoo rubs the back of his head sheepishly, kicking his foot against the rubble. “I’m just worried that more people might attack you like last time. They know where you live and all…”

Jiwoo did bring up a good point. Especially when Dr. Delein had lots of enemies, a lot of people would be coming after him. The two of them had multiple reasons to move from one place to another and this was one of them. Wooin was silent, contemplating what to answer.

“You don’t have too, of course!” Jiwoo says, shaking his hands in front of him dismissively. “It’s just a suggestion! If anyone comes and attacks you, I know that you’re strong enough to fight back!” he exclaims. His eyes were sparkling in admiration that made Wooin feel warm inside. This boy really does know how to flatter someone. “It’s just that this time there were two of them and they were international criminals!”

There was even more silence before Wooin sighs, a small smile forming on his face as he nods his head. “It might be safer staying at your place for a while,” Wooin says. Plus, they did have a sleepover with Jisuk before. It’s better to stay at Jiwoo’s house than to look for a completely new house. Jiwoo’s eyes widen and then brightens up.

“Ah, really?!” Jiwoo exclaims, excitedly. “Should we get some of your stuff then?” he asked, curiously. “Your house isn’t too far.”

Wooin looks down the street, before shaking his head. “There isn’t much. I’ll bring them here tomorrow,” he answers.

“It’s also dark outside too,” Jiwoo replies, heading inside. Wooin follows behind him. The place was messy since Jiwoo was gone and it looked like Kayden was the one that had been feeding the other cats. Kayden glances over at Wooin, confused as to why he was here. Wooin notices Kayden’s gaze on him, feeling a bit tense. “I didn’t prepare anything beforehand since I just got home…” the teenager mumbles, scrambling around the place, trying to clean it up.

Wooin bends down, reaching out for an empty tuna can. The way it was open was very concerning. As he reached out, his hands accidentally brushes Jiwoo’s hands and they both looked up, seeing each other’s gaze. “Wooin, you don’t have to clean up. You’re the guest here and—” Jiwoo starts rambling.

“It’s fine,” Wooin says calmly, taking the empty tuna can. “I’ll be living here from now on, remember? I should help out around the house.”

Jiwoo smiles. “Thanks,” he says. Wooin nods his head, looking away from Jiwoo, feeling warm again.

After cleaning up the last remains of empty tuna cans and spilt cat food, Jiwoo was walking downstairs from his room with neatly folded clothes in his arms. “It’s probably hot inside the uniform so here’s some of my clothes. I’m not sure if they could fit though but it’s what I could find that’s large enough for you,” Jiwoo says, handing Wooin the neatly folded clothes. “The bathroom is over there. Take a shower if you’d like.” He points down to an open door down the hallway, revealing the inside of the room.

Wooin nods his head, thanking Jiwoo, as he took the neatly folded clothes out of Jiwoo’s hands. Their hands lightly brush each other. Jiwoo’s hands were warm, something that Wooin wanted to feel more. Compared to his life before he met Jiwoo, Wooin remembers the shivering of the animals that Dr. Delein used to experiment on. He remembers how cold the dead bodies of those animals when he had to bury them after a failed experiment.

“Thanks,” Wooin mumbles, looking at the floor and avoiding Jiwoo’s eyes. He drapes the neatly folded clothes onto his arm, slightly bowing his head at Jiwoo, before heading to the bathroom.

Jiwoo looks at the time, seeing how it’s nearly 10 PM and past dinner. “I should feed the cats,” he exclaimed to himself, rushing to get cat food. A certain fat, orange tabby cat walks over to Jiwoo, looking a tad irritated, as Jiwoo fills up their bowls. “Mr. Kayden!”

“Warn me next time when you’re gonna have guests,” he sneered, looking grumpy as ever.

Jiwoo chuckles, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Sorry, Mr. Kayden.” Though, the apology sounded insincere from the way Jiwoo smiled. “I was just worried about Wooin since he lives alone,” he explains, glancing at the closed bathroom door. “He’s going to be staying with us from now on. I hope that’s fine with you.”

Kayden sighs, feeling years of his life draining. This boy made Kayden worry too much about him because of his naivete and innocence. Kayden only felt more stressed out because he is currently transformed into a cat without a known possible way to transform back to his original form and, from his knowledge, cats don’t live long, especially a fat one.

“It’s…” Thinking about it more, Wooin and Dr. Delein were the only other people who knew that this fat, orange tabby cat is the notorious Kayden Break. The two of them also didn’t tell anyone, from what Kayden knows so far, about Kayden’s current position. There was no harm having Wooin stay at Jiwoo’s house and knowing the boy, Wooin wouldn’t probably stay for long. Maybe for a couple of weeks or even a month at maximum, Kayden presumes. “... fine,” the fat cat says, sighing exasperatedly at the end of his sentence. “As long as he doesn’t make a mess, which I presume he won’t, around here. We already have four others already doing that.”

Jiwoo tilts his head in confusion as Kayden glances at the three stray kittens eating from a food bowl and the sleeping awakened cat across the couch.

The bathroom door clicks and Jiwoo turns his head to see Wooin walking out of the bathroom. There was a towel draped across his shoulders, while he wore a white plain t-shirt and black sweatpants. It was a plain outfit, but the clothes were a tad short, revealing Wooin’s stomach and his muscles.

“Sorry, Wooin!” Jiwoo apologizes, seeing how the clothes he has given to Wooin doesn’t fit. Though, a light blush was forming on his face, seeing the muscles on Wooin’s stomach. He quickly looked away, petting one of his cats to distract himself. “I don’t have any bigger clothes.”

Wooin shakes his head, a faint blush forming from embarrassment. He typically doesn’t wear “revealing” clothes. Though, what he’s wearing wasn’t that revealing, it was a different style from what he normally would wear. “It’s fine,” he says, glancing to the left. “It’s summer anyways.”

Jiwoo nods his head in agreement. “That’s true,” he says. As he was petting Kayden, the fat cat tilts his head towards Wooin to remind Jiwoo about something. “Ah, by the way, Wooin,” Jiwoo calls for Wooin’s attention and Wooin stiffens up, noticing the serious mood. “You know Kayden… right?”

Wooin glances at the cat. He remembers Dr. Delein told him to just forget everything that happened from  _ that  _ day, but it was very obvious that he knew who Kayden was when Kayden himself was in the same room. Kayden also appeared again when they were fighting against Duran Klein.

“Oi, we know that you know.” The deep recognizable voice surprised Wooin. He stared at the fat, orange tabby cat that seemed to be glaring at him. He knew that the cat could transform into Kayden but he didn’t think that the cat was able to talk. Wooin assumed that the cat can only talk when in human form since he was always so quiet whenever he came over to hang out.

“You can be honest,” Jiwoo says, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Since, after all, you’re going to be living here, I thought you should know that Casein Nitrate is actually Kayden.”

Kayden rolls his eyes. “Just don’t cause trouble around here,” he scoffs. “It’s already tiring enough having to look over six kids.”

Jiwoo tilts his head in confusion again at Kayden, mumbling, “Five kids?” He suspected that four of the five kids Kayden mentioned were the four other cats in this household, but the fifth one confused Jiwoo. There were only six of them who lived here, before Wooin came, and Kayden couldn’t have been talking about himself. “1, 2, 3, 4… Eh?”

Wooin was already smart enough to figure out who Kayden was referring to, with a small smile on his face as he stared at Jiwoo, who counted the cats repeatedly. “Though, I trust that you won’t be doing that. I know that you’re a good kid,” Kayden continues, watching Wooin smiling at Jiwoo. “But, considering how there’s many of us living here, there’s got to be some set of rules placed around here.”

“Isn’t this  _ my _ house?” Jiwoo asked confused, already having given up on finding out who the fifth “child” was.

Kayden nods his head. “Yes, but both of you are teenagers,” he says very seriously. “Considering that both of you don’t get into much trouble,” he pauses, staring at Jiwoo, and shakes his head, “ _ one  _ of you, I mean, there probably won’t be a lot of rules set. From now on, there’s a curfew…” Kayden goes over the rules with the two teenagers over the course of the entire night.

* * *

It's only been a week, but they were already comfortable seeing each other around the house, like it was so natural.

The two ended up making Jiwoo’s room into a shared closet, considering how neither of them slept in that room. Jiwoo suggested in the beginning that Wooin could sleep in that room, but Wooin denied it. Wooin slept on the couch in the living room with Jiwoo, who always slept on the floor with the other cats, despite there being another open couch on the other side of the room. Other days, Jiwoo slept in the basement and Wooin would always see him and Kayden walking out from the basement in the mornings looking exhausted, especially Jiwoo.

Jiwoo had a bad habit forgetting to eat breakfast during those days, but never forgets to feed the cats. Wooin admires Jiwoo’s determination even when they were almost late to class, but it sometimes brought Wooin to worry for him when he forgets taking care of himself. Because of that, Wooin ends up making breakfast for the two of them instead of just himself. It felt natural to him to make food for Jiwoo.

“You’re really good at cooking, Wooin,” Jiwoo exclaims, smiling, as he finished his plate. “When did you learn how to cook?”

Wooin was handing down Kayden’s plate of food. There were random times when Kayden would look human and Wooin would never question it. “When Dr. Delein was busy, I would cook meals for him so that he wouldn’t starve himself,” he explained, putting down his own plate. “I’ve been cooking since I was young…”

Jiwoo nods his head. “Wow! I never got time to cook my own food,” he says, sheepishly.

“Like that wasn’t obvious,” Kayden grumbles, taking a big bite out of his own food and reading the newspaper at the same time.

Jiwoo chuckles, since he can’t deny that. “Yeah… I always end up spending my money on cat products so I don’t have a lot of money left over to buy ingredients to make my own meals. It’s easier to eat instant food,” he explains. “I’d like to learn how to cook though! I sometimes see delicious food on TV!”

“What about your mom?” Kayden asks, remembering when Jiwoo told the story of why he always fed stray cats. He finished his plate, putting it in the dishwasher. Just in time, he poofs into a cat and there’s this irritated look on his face that looked ready to kill anyone.

“My mom is usually on business trips, like right now, because of her job so I never get to usually see her around,” Jiwoo explains. “Her job is a good job, though, and it supports both of us financially so I can’t really complain about it.”

Wooin could relate to Jiwoo in some way. Dr. Delein saved Wooin from being experimented on so Wooin couldn’t really complain about Dr. Delein’s actions. It felt like he owed Dr. Delein for saving him.

“I could teach you how to cook,” Wooin suggested. “It’s good to know these things since they can be useful.”

Jiwoo lights up, straightening his back and leaning forward. “Really?!” he asked, excitedly. Thankfully, it’s the weekend so there’s plenty of time. Wooin nods his head and Jiwoo claps his hands together. “Ah! Can we try making today’s dinner then?!”

“Yeah,” Wooin answers, a small smile forming on his face. Jiwoo’s cheerfulness was contagious, lightening up others around him, like the Sun and bringing life to Earth. Without it, the Earth would be cold and desolate, only becoming a rock that floated with no purpose. That’s how Wooin thought of Jiwoo.

* * *

It’s a natural habit for them to feed the stray cats around the neighborhood on their way to school and back home. Jiwoo watches Wooin feed one of the stray cats. Wooin doesn’t notice the gaze on him though, a small smile sculpted on his face, as he pets the stray cat that was eating the food that he gave. There was a blush dusted on his cheeks, obviously happy with the cat trusting him.

Seeing Wooin like this made Jiwoo smile and laugh to himself.

Wooin was always a reserved and cautious person, keeping things to himself rather than talk about it. That’s why Jiwoo enjoys seeing the little emotions that seeped through time to time. When Wooin sometimes look frustrated when he came home from meeting Dr. Delein, he always looked to the ground with his brows knitted together, or when Wooin sometimes looked really, really proud of his grade from school, he would subtly show it by placing it on the table for everyone to see (though he has learned not to after getting it ripped apart by one of Jiwoo’s stray cats).

He never says anything but his actions told a lot about what he was feeling and Jiwoo learned to read them.

Wooin glanced at Jiwoo, hearing him laugh, and scrunched his face in confusion. Jiwoo shook his head, covering his mouth with his hand to hold back his laughter. “Sorry, sorry,” he immediately apologizes, feeling warm on his face. “That cat seems to like you.” As Jiwoo says that, the stray cat that Wooin has been petting finishes their food and rubs their head against Wooin’s hand. Wooin relaxes his features, making a silent “hmph” noise, while watching fondly as Jiwoo chuckles to himself while looking at the other stray cat that he has been feeding. “I’m glad.”

Seeing Wooin relaxed made Jiwoo relax as well. Even though they’ve only met a couple of months ago and only recently have been living together, Jiwoo is happy that there was someone else who was an awakened human like him. He’s been alone his entire life, isolating himself out of fear that someone would find out that’s different from the rest and treat him like a monster. His mother was barely home and he constantly moved to different schools. It felt lonely being in a new place, surrounded by new people, with barely anything to seek comfort in.

Feeding stray cats and kittens was his only way to stop that loneliness from overcoming him. Even though they show different ways of affection, they lived a different life from him.

Unlike Wooin.

He was the very first person that he could consider an actual friend. The two had a lot in common: moving houses a lot, isolating themselves from the outer world, being an awakened human. Wooin was the very first person that Jiwoo could talk with, relate with, and be comfortable with.

* * *

Jiwoo’s hands were soft and smooth to the touch, compared to Wooin’s calloused and rough hands. Jiwoo’s hands told Wooin how innocent Jiwoo still was compared to him, who helped experimented on helpless animals, torturing and killing them.

“Ah, sorry,” Jiwoo says, chuckling sheepishly, as Wooin inspects the cut on Jiwoo’s finger. Jiwoo accidentally cut himself while trying to cut the carrots in the kitchen earlier which is how they ended up in the bathroom together.

Wooin shook his head. “It’s fine.” He wraps a bandage over Jiwoo’s finger. “Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Yeah, but I should’ve been more careful.” Jiwoo pouts that somehow made Wooin’s heart flutter.

“You’re actually a quick learner,” Wooin says slowly, not letting go of Jiwoo’s hand. It fitted perfectly in his. There were no complaints from Jiwoo. In fact, he looked totally oblivious to how Wooin was still holding his hand. “I cutted myself a lot when I was young and was learning how to cook.”

Jiwoo smiles, lightening up again. “Really? Ah, that makes me happy to hear that!” he exclaims, unconsciously tightening his grip on Wooin’s hand. Wooin’s face begins feeling warm as Jiwoo grins.

“Are you kids done in there?” Kayden’s deep voice was heard from the other side of the door. The two were surprised by the sudden noise.

Jiwoo immediately lets go of Wooin’s hand, opening the bathroom door. “Sorry, Mr. Kayden,” he says, sheepishly. “We didn’t make you wait for too long, did we?” he asks, as the two teenagers exit the bathroom, with Jiwoo walking out first and Wooin following behind.

“Of course, you did!” Kayden grumbles and Jiwoo begins apologizing profusely. “I’m just teasing.”

As Kayden and Jiwoo converse, Wooin looks at the hand that Jiwoo held, closing it into a fist and opening it back up. The warmth that Jiwoo gave disappeared. Wooin wished he could hold Jiwoo’s hand for a bit longer. He glances at Jiwoo who was still talking with Kayden.

“Do you need help getting up on the toilet, Mr. Kayden?” Jiwoo asks innocently at the currently fat, orange tabby cat, who responded with a yell. The boy laughs, apologizes, and closes the door for Kayden.

The way his cheeks flush red and the wide grin that spreaded across his face. It was comforting for Wooin to simply see Jiwoo be happy. Wooin could only hope for that happiness that Jiwoo was feeling to never fleet off. It felt like something he needed to protect.

* * *

It was night. Jiwoo recently finished training, which ended early, because “sleep is important for developing which Jiwoo was currently lacking,” according to Kayden. It was true, however. Jiwoo’s sleep schedule has gone haywire since the moment he found out he was an awakened human.

It was even more hectic ever since Jiwoo met Wooin.

Jiwoo couldn’t help but stare at Wooin during the night, watching him peacefully sleep.

There were times when Jiwoo wanted to reach over and trace Wooin’s jawline with his finger or run his hands through Wooin’s short black hair, but there was the possibility that Wooin would wake up and be uncomfortable. On a related note, Wooin began shifting on the couch, causing Jiwoo to tense up. The taller teenager rolled his body, sleeping on one side of his body, facing Jiwoo's direction with his eyes still closed.

Jiwoo held his breath, waiting to see if Wooin would wake up, but after a few minutes, he finally reminded himself to breathe again. There were feelings inside of him that he couldn’t understand.

When he sees Wooin, his heart races, and every time they talk, there’s butterflies in his stomach. Jiwoo couldn’t understand why he felt so nervous around Wooin everytime the taller teenager was nearby.

Ever since finding out what awakened humans are and figuring out that he is one himself, he’s been feeling all sorts of emotions that he couldn’t understand. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t like them though. Jiwoo figured that he’s been lonely his entire life before meeting Kayden and Wooin and he’s thankful for the two of them for being here with him.

“Is it uncomfortable on the floor?”

The familiar quiet voice breaking the night’s silence surprises Jiwoo and he sees Wooin’s eyes opened and staring at him. Jiwoo begins blushing profusely, wondering how long has Wooin been awake. Wooin reaches over the coffee table, grabbing his phone to check on the time.

Jiwoo curiously watches as Wooin stands up. “Are you going somewhere?” Jiwoo asks, curious as to where Wooin was going.

“It’s 6 AM,” Wooin answers, glancing at Jiwoo, while putting on his jacket. Jiwoo wonders why he woke up so early when school doesn’t start until 8 AM. “I’m going to make breakfast.” That explains it. He heads into the kitchen, opening the fridge door to see what’s inside. “Did you just finish training in the basement just now?” he asks. Jiwoo’s eyes widened, wondering how Wooin knew, but before he could ask, Wooin explains, “You’re wearing a tracksuit.”

The boy looks down at his clothes to check and he gasps. “You’re right!” he says, rubbing his head sheepishly. “I should go shower and change my clothes and get ready for school, then.” As Jiwoo stood up from his spot, Wooin shakes his head. “Eh?”

“Take a nap, at least,” Wooin suggests, grabbing milk and eggs from the fridge and putting them on the counter. “You’ll end up sleeping during class again.”

Jiwoo hums, before nodding and smiling. “Good idea!” But, it’s so hard to sleep around Wooin. “You’ll wake me up before school starts, though, right?”

Wooin nods his head, returning Jiwoo’s smile with a small one. Jiwoo feels his face growing warm, his heart racing, and the butterflies flying inside his stomach. That small smile was enough for Jiwoo to feel like he could fly. Jiwoo unrolls the blanket onto the floor, lying on top of it, and closing his eyes. Even though Wooin told him to sleep, his heart can’t stop racing, and one question is stuck in his mind:  _ What is this feeling? _

* * *

“You look distracted.”

Wooin snaps out of his thoughts, noticing that Dr. Delein has his eyes narrowed down on him with an eyebrow raised. The old man had his head leaning on the palm of his hand while tapping his fingers on the desk, impatiently.

“Well?” Dr. Delein leans back on his chair, crossing his arms. “What? Is it about your friends?” There was a tiny smirk that formed on his face, obviously happy that Wooin had someone to take care of him while he was imprisoned. He rubs his chin with a finger, humming. “What were their names again…? Ah! Jiwoo and Jisuk! There’s also that girl who’s the granddaughter of the Union’s leader, hm?”

Wooin nods his head shyly, then shakes his head.

If this was a webtoon, then there would be noticable question marks on top of Dr. Delein’s head right now, but this is fanfiction. “Eh? Did I get their names wrong? I’m sure one of them is named Jiwoo, that’s a pretty common name…”

“It’s not about my friends…” Wooin states, looking down at his pants. He wasn’t sure if or how to explain it to Dr. Delein. “It is about a friend.”

Dr. Delein’s confusion falls into a dark expression that makes Wooin worry. “Hm… Did you get into a fight?” he asked ominously. “Is it that granddaughter? I heard that she’s been forcing you to join the—” He stops himself, seeing Wooin shakes his head. “Then who did you get into a fight with?”

“It wasn’t a fight,” Wooin says. “I feel nervous around one of them.”

Specifically, it was about Jiwoo. Just the thought of seeing Jiwoo every morning made Wooin blush. Sometimes, they would cook together, do laundry together, watch TV together… It felt natural to do these things with Jiwoo. Being near Jiwoo felt natural; being away from Jiwoo made Wooin long for him more.

Dr. Delein has always been an observant person. It is a needed skill when dealing with suspicious clients before he got taken by the Union. This skill has come in handy in multiple situations, like grocery shopping to get the best price. It was especially handy when it came to a certain reserved teenager. The faint blush on Wooin’s face doesn’t go unnoticed by the old man. A smirk rises back up on his face again as he leaned in, curious to see if his assumption is right. “Do you have a crush?”

The teenager’s eyes widened when Dr. Delein asked that question and looked up to see Dr. Delein chuckling to himself. Wooin never thought of the possibility of having a crush on someone, let alone dating entirely. He’s been so focused on other things, like thinking about how cute Jiwoo is when he’s training force energy or when he’s feeding the stray cats around the neighborhood… Wooin immediately deadpans, realizing he actually does have a crush.

“Is it that granddaughter?” Dr. Delein asks. “Or is it a girl I haven’t heard about? One of your classmates, perhaps?”

Dr. Delein was right about the classmate part, but Dr. Delein was wrong about Wooin’s crush being a girl. One thing that made Wooin uncertain to tell him who his crush was what if Dr. Delein didn’t approve of Jiwoo? Wooin knew that Dr. Delein already met Jiwoo— in fact, those two technically talked first before him and Jiwoo talked— but what if…

“So, it’s not a girl,” Dr. Delein interrupts Wooin’s thoughts. The fact that Dr. Delein was quick to find out the answer in a short time made Wooin worry. It’s harder to lie to Dr. Delein when he’s staring and being in an enclosed space doesn’t help. “I know that Jiwoo is your classmate, right? You’re also living with him from what I heard.”

Wooin hesitantly nods, curling his hands into his pants, and preparing a lecture. For his entire life, Dr. Delein criticized him, though he’s been going easy on him recently after being imprisoned by the Union. “Yes.”

Dr. Delein chuckles, leaning back in his chair again. “Ah, he’s a good kid, I can tell…” he exclaims, looking content. “Despite how we first met, he tried saving a cat that he thought was being abused— I mean, the cat  _ was _ , technically…” Dr. Delein notices how Wooin looked uncomfortable about the past experiments they used to do on animals and decides to get straight to the point. “He’s a good kid, yeah.”

It went silent in the room with tension filling up. Dr. Delein wasn’t sure what else to add, considering he isn’t good with hormonal teenagers. He only knew the basics and it’s just from past experience from when he was a teenager. Even then, the world is constantly changing and so is everything living on it.

“You’re not angry…?” Wooin asked, confused and hesitant.

Dr. Delein raised a brow before shaking his head. “Why would I be?” he asked in disbelief. “Love is love. I can’t control how you feel. You’re your own person.” That’s one thing he’s learned recently. Dr. Delein recently understood that Wooin is his own person, capable of making his own choices; Jiwoo helped him realize it. Said teenager may not realize it, but Dr. Delein is thankful that the boy has entered Wooin and his life. “Eh— Are you crying for real?”

When Dr. Delein said that, Wooin pressed a hand against his cheek, feeling a streak of water smeared down on it. He didn’t realize that he was crying. “Ah, thank you…” he mumbled and gave a small smile. Dr. Delein was surprised but smiled back. He felt proud that he was able to make Wooin smile and that he finally turned a new chapter.

* * *

Wooin realizes that it’s harder to confess his feelings than recognizing them. After visiting Dr. Delein, he wasn’t sure how to act around Jiwoo anymore. His heart would pace and it felt suffocating. Having a crush and being in love was like flying and falling.

Like Icarus, with his waxy wings, there was a certain height in the air he must maintain. Too high in the sky, he’ll burn, but too low near the waters, he’ll drown. That’s how Wooin felt.

Jiwoo caught onto Wooin’s actions. “Are you okay, Wooin?” he asked, concerned. The way he tilts his head and his big eyes that shined. It made Wooin’s heart skip a beat.

“Yeah…” he mumbles, looking away, while rubbing the back of his neck, feeling his face warm. Wooin wants to see Jiwoo every day of his life. What would happen if he confesses and Jiwoo rejects because he doesn’t see him that way? It would be awkward living together. Wooin doesn’t want that to happen. “I’m fine.”

For reassurance, he gave a small smile, and for a moment, Jiwoo blushed. Wooin wasn’t sure if that meant that Jiwoo liked him, but a smile formed on his face. “That’s good to hear, Wooin! We’re friends, of course!” Of course, Jiwoo would only be worried. They’re friends.

Jiwoo went back to feeding the stray cats. Was now a good time to confess? The moment was relaxing and Jisuk and Subin weren’t around to be loud and interrupt the moment.

“I actually have something to tell you—”

“There you guys are!”

Speak of the devil. The two simultaneously turned around, seeing Subin waving her hand at the two of them. She raised a brow, looking confused. “Where’s Jisuk? Isn’t he usually with you guys?” she asked. “Or, did he get some bad, explosive diarrhea and had to stay home?” The girl snickers. “‘Sup, Wooin, Jiwoo.”

“Hi, Subin!” Jiwoo exclaims, smiling. “Jisuk actually is grounded by Jiyoung, so he can’t hang out with us.”

Subin was about to laugh but then Jisuk was running from the other side of the alley. “I was  _ not _ grounded!” he exclaimed, turning both ways, before hiding into an even more narrow hallway, where he was close with his friends. “Had to stay back behind because Jiyoung held me back.”

As soon as he said that, there were like three men shortly following the same direction that Jisuk went and saw Jiwoo, Wooin, and Subin. “Those three are Jisuk’s friends, right?” one of them asked.

The taller one nods, before walking in front and asking, “Have you guys seen Jisuk? He wasn’t supposed to go out of the house.”

It was obvious that Jisuk went into this direction and saying that they didn’t see him would make it obvious that they’re lying. To get this over with, Wooin pointed to the opposite direction that Jisuk hid, answering, “I saw him running over there.”

“Thanks,” and the three bodyguards continued running.

When the bodyguards were far enough, Jisuk got out of the narrow hallway, letting out a big, relieved sigh. “Wooin, thanks, man. I appreciate it,” he says, slapping his back. Wooin only nods his head.

“So you got grounded—”

“No, I didn’t!”

Subin snickers, dodging Jisuk’s fists, while Jisuk tries to punch her. Eventually, the two got into a fist fight. Jiwoo laughs at the two of them. “Hey, do you guys wanna hang out back at our house?” Jiwoo asks, curiously. Wooin blushed when Jiwoo said “our” because that meant he was truly living with Jiwoo rather than just staying there. “We can’t really go anywhere since Jisuk isn’t supposed to be outside.”

“Good idea,” Jisuk says, rubbing his shoulder. It must’ve been tight in that narrow hallway.

Subin shrugs. “I’m down for whatever.”

Wooin sighed as he followed the three of his friends from behind. Seems like he’ll have to confess some other time. For now, they’ll just remain as friends.

When they reached Jiwoo and Wooin’s house, they didn’t hesitate to make themselves at home. It was already sunset and the four of them went straight to the kitchen, making dinner together. “Alright, why is there cat food everywhere?” Subin sneered, continuously opening the cabinets. “I’m  _ not _ making the same mistake as last time,” with the mistake being that she accidentally mistaken cat food for a bag of chips.

Jisuk started laughing, clutching his stomach. “Oh, good times!” he says, wiping a tear. These two were chaotically loud. It wasn’t a bad thing but it made it harder to confess to Jiwoo when Jisuk and Subin were constantly with them.

“Ah, Wooin, do you know where the knife is?” Jiwoo asks, looking through the drawers.

Wooin nods his head, coming over to Jiwoo. “Yeah,” he answered and leaned over Jiwoo to show where the collection of knives were. There was a drawer inside the drawer that hid the knives. “I had to hide it from the cats because they found out a way to open up tuna cans without Kayden’s help.”

“Oh, that’s so smart!” Jiwoo says, looking up at Wooin and smiling. “Thanks!”

Wooin suddenly began feeling self-conscious, realizing how close he was to Jiwoo. Right now, he could kiss Jiwoo if he wanted to. But, he can’t. They were only friends. He immediately walks away, heading to the fridge, while mumbling, “Yeah.”

Jiwoo looked confused, wondering why Wooin was even shyer than usual, but dismissed it, now cutting the carrots.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the dining table, Jisuk and Subin were watching the entire scene unfold in front of their eyes. Jisuk scrunches his face. “It’s… too… much…” he exclaimed.

Subin nodded her head, with her arms crossed. “It’s like watching a k-drama with 24 episodes, with 23 of them being two characters pining each other and the last episode is when they actually confess to each other,” she sneered, shaking her head disappointedly. “It’s exhausting.”

“How many k-dramas have you watched to come to that?” Jisuk snickered.

“Too much. My dad loves them,” she says, exasperatedly.

* * *

It was the middle of night and Wooin was struggling to sleep. Both Jisuk and Subin decided to take their spots on the couch meaning that Jiwoo and Wooin were sleeping on the floor together. Being near Jiwoo made Wooin’s heart race and it was hard to fall asleep.

Instead, he stands up and heads to the kitchen. Luckily, Jiwoo is currently exhausted considering how little sleep he has been getting. Can’t say about the others.

As Wooin grabs a glass to pour some water in, someone’s footsteps come shuffling in. He turned his head to see who it was and was slightly disappointed to see Subin being the one awake. Subin notices and snickers. “Did you want it to be Jiwoo?” she asks, teasingly. Wooin immediately blushes, wondering how Subin knew. “The way you act around him makes it so obvious that you’re in love with him.”

Was it that obvious?

Wooin stays silent, pouring water into the empty glass.

“So, when are you gonna confess?” she asked, curiously, leaning on the table as she opened up a bag of chips. “From what I know, you two haven’t gotten together yet.” She says it as if Jiwoo likes him back.

Wooin frowns, mumbling, “I was going to earlier. You two came.”

Subin tries to stop herself from bursting out of laughter so it ended up being fits of giggles. “I’m sorry— Oh, shit, did I interrupt your confession scene?” she asked, trying to stop her laughing. “My bad, my bad! It’s just don’t people confess in more romantic places? You two were in a moldy alleyway.”

“Is that so…” Wooin says. He didn’t know that a confession isn’t just words. “How should I confess then?”

Subin hums, very hard, pretending to think. “Take them on a date,  _ obviously _ ,” she says, matter-of-factly. “Since it’s Jiwoo, I’m sure he’s fine with it being anywhere. Just make it memorable or something, I don’t know. Anyways, gonna go back to sleep. G’night.” She waves a hand, smiling, and going back to the couch.

Even though they were friends, her smile didn’t make him feel the same way Jiwoo’s smile does. Wooin sighed. “I must be infatuated with him.”

* * *

How Wooin actually confessed was not how he expected.

Wooin watched the k-dramas that Subin suggested to get an idea of how a confession scene should work and Jisuk even suggested looking at websites because k-dramas aren’t an accurate representation. He planned on taking Jiwoo to a picnic at the beach and asking him out somewhere near sunset since it looked romantic enough.

Instead, it was the middle of the night. Wooin had been struggling to sleep because he planned to confess  _ tomorrow _ and Jiwoo just finished training from the basement. Kayden would shortly follow after Jiwoo but, currently, it was just Wooin and Jiwoo awake.

Wooin didn’t realize that Jiwoo had recently come out of the basement, though, and was still rehearsing the lines inside his head. “I like you, Jiwoo.”

“Eh?”

Wooin’s eyes shot wide open and he sits up straight, seeing Jiwoo standing at the door of the basement, drenched in sweat, with a towel draped over his shoulders. Jiwoo had a bright blush on his face, surprised by the sudden confession. He points a finger to himself, hesitantly. “You like me?”

There’s no going back now.

Wooin slowly nodded his head, looking down. “Yeah.” He gripped tightly on the white blanket, not mentally prepared to hear Jiwoo’s response. This wasn’t how he planned out to confess to him.

It was silent.

“It’s fine if you don’t… like me back,” he said, slowly.

Jiwoo shakes his head. “It’s not that… Just give me time to think about it,” he responded quickly. “I’ve never thought about dating before and this is my first time being confessed to. G- Give me a week to think about it, please!”

Wooin’s eyes widened before nodding his head. “Alright,” he said.

“I- I’m going to go sleep in the basement!”

“Alright.”

* * *

Kayden doesn’t consider himself to be a parent, considering that he never had a child before, but ever since he transformed into a cat, he felt like one. Feeding the other stray cats while Jiwoo is gone, helping Jiwoo become a strong awakened, etc.

Tiring, but accomplishing.

Jiwoo and Kayden were in the basement, training per usual. The fat cat  glared stared at Jiwoo, noticing how the boy wasn’t focusing on his speed. In fact, he’s distracted with something and Kayden is set on investigating what that distraction was.

“We’ll stop right here for today,” Kayden says, interrupting Jiwoo’s training. The teenager slows down, confused why they ended earlier than usual. They’ve been ending their training earlier than usual and there was always a different reason to it. “C’mere and kneel in front of me.” Jiwoo wasn’t hesitant with his actions but was highly intimidated when he was having a staredown with a fat cat who is nearly the equivalent of a mafia boss.

Considering the stories Kayden tells him, he possibly might be. Though, if he were, it doesn’t change how Jiwoo views Kayden.

“Mr. Kayden?” Jiwoo asks, slightly curious why they had to end training early.

“You’ve been increasingly getting distracted ever since Wooin has started living with us,” he says, leaning his head on his fat. “I bet you were thinking of someone just now, weren’t you? Is it someone you like?”

Jiwoo’s blush turned an even brighter shade of red and he asks, “H- How did you know?!”

Kayden scoffs. “I used to be a teenager as well,” he sneered.

Jiwoo looked confused before gasping. “You’re right! You’re human!” he exclaimed, covering his mouth with two hands.

“You forgot about that?!”

“Sorry, Mr. Kayden! It’s just that I see you in cat form,” the teenager says sheepishly, while rubbing the back of his head. Then a blush returned on his face as he asked slowly while pointing to himself, “So, I like Wooin?” As he spoke a certain boy’s name, the image forms of Wooin cooking breakfast for him every morning. Waking up to Wooin sounded nice.

Kayden scrunches his face. “That’s up for you to decide,” he responded in disbelief. “Plus, I never said whether you liked Wooin or not, I only mentioned that you were thinking of someone. I didn’t even specify who.”

Seeing Jiwoo so flustered made Kayden laugh. He was at first teasing but he didn’t think that he would get right on the first try. Kayden had his assumptions and having it confirmed made Kayden feel like a proud dad, seeing his son growing up.

“What do I do then…?” Jiwoo asks. “I like... Wooin…” there was a blush on his face, not from embarrassment. “Well, actually… Five days ago, Wooin confessed to me, and I didn’t know how to respond— And, and I promised him that I would have a response in a week… What if he doesn’t like me anymore by then?”

One thing that made Kayden gawk was how oblivious the two of them were to each other about their feelings. It was about time that someone confessed or else Kayden would’ve just decided to become an actual stray cat and get away from the house. It was like reading a typical romance webtoon with two characters obviously pining for each other but they don’t get together until like 90 episodes later or a k-drama, same situation, but they don’t get together for a long time. Someone would understand this and they would understand that it is painful as hell to see two people who are obviously infatuated with each other to not get together.

Even though Wooin confessed, it seemed like Jiwoo had just begun understanding his feelings. It’s understandable to be confused when someone’s just a hormonal teenager going through puberty and falling in love for the first time.

“I’m sure that no one would confess without giving it some thought,” Kayden replies. Plus, knowing Wooin, he would’ve done some careful consideration before actually confessing. “Confessing is rather really difficult since the outcome is unpredictable.” Though, Kayden never experienced that. He was always the one recipient of the confessions and he flat out rejected them. “Though, I can’t say what you should do. It’s up to you to either accept or reject his confession. You may like someone and they might like you back, but that doesn’t mean you’re automatically dating. Some people simply have different priorities.”

Jiwoo sighed, feeling confused.

Kayden also sighs. “You’re both teenagers! You have all the time in the world!” he exclaims. “Don’t think so hard about it and hit your shot. What’s the possibility that another chance would come?”

There was silence and Kayden wonders if that advice helped any better. He sighed with relief when Jiwoo immediately lit up again, being his normal, bright self. “You’re right, Mr. Kayden!” he cheers, standing up. “T- Tomorrow!” He stuttered, clearly nervous but excited. “I’ll talk about it with Wooin tomorrow! And, I’ll accept his confession!”

Kayden smirks, looking proud of his “son.” “That’s it!” he says, smiling equally as bright. “I know you can do it! Now, then, go to sleep before the sun rises! You have to get ready.”

Jiwoo stands up, nodding his head. His legs were a bit wobbly from the way he was sitting but that didn’t matter. Excitement, instead of fear, was now filling his body that Jiwoo thinks he might not be able to sleep at all. “Thank you, Mr. Kayden!” he exclaims, waving his hands as he leaves the basement.

There was a moment of silence before Kayden chuckles, getting off of the couch to follow Jiwoo. “Teenagers these days,” he snickers, as his fat paws thump against the wooden floorboards.

* * *

It was morning. The tension between Jiwoo and Wooin was really noticeable that the other cats tried finding Kayden to deal with them. Kayden eventually ordered them to stay in the basement since he’s the only one that knows what’s going to happen.

“Uhm, Wooin,” Jiwoo calls out for said boy. They were in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Jiwoo was making coffee while Wooin was making pancakes. Wooin turned off the stove to glance at Jiwoo. There was a blush on Jiwoo’s face and Wooin couldn’t help but blush as well. Why was Jiwoo so cute? “A- About the confession…”

Wooin wasn’t mentally prepared for this. Six days wasn’t enough for him to mentally prepare. The possibility that Jiwoo could reject the confession made Wooin sick inside. Still, he stood in his place, waiting for Jiwoo to finish his sentence.

“I- I like you back,” he said. Jiwoo can hear his own heart thumping next to his ears. “I- If you still like me, of course… I made you wait for a week so it’s fine if you don’t like me back anymore…”

“I still like you,” Wooin said shortly after Jiwoo finished. He looks away, focusing on the pancakes. “I like you a lot.”

The blushes on both of the boys’ faces got brighter. “D- Does that mean we’re dating now?” Jiwoo asked, nervously.

Wooin glances at Jiwoo. “If you want to…”

“I want to.”

* * *

“I can’t believe it took them how long for them to finally confess to each other,” Jisuk exclaimed, watching the couple whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Subin nods her head inattentively, focusing on her phone. There was a notification and she stands up. Jisuk raises a brow. “Don’t leave me here with these lovebirds!”

“Sorry, but got a date to catch, as well,” she says, winking at Jisuk. “Don’t wanna have her waiting.”

Jiwoo and Wooin notice Subin leaving and Jiwoo waved a hand to say goodbye to Subin. Subin pointed finger guns at Jiwoo and Wooin before exiting the cafe.

“Am I the only single one?” Jisuk rhetorically asks himself.

Jiwoo and Wooin also stand up, with Jiwoo saying, “Sorry, Jisuk! Wooin and I are going on a date at the beach after this…” while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Wooin had a light blush dusting his face, while hiding behind Jiwoo.

Jisuk shakes his head. “No, go on with your date! I’ll just be here, enjoying these desserts by myself!” he sneered, but quickly smirked. “You two enjoy yourselves.”

Shortly, the couple began making their way to the beach, hands tangled with each other. There was barely anyone because it’s winter, but they couldn’t care less.

“This was how you were supposed to confess to me?” Jiwoo asked curiously, as they walked along the foreshore.

Wooin nodded his head, blushing in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to confess to you so suddenly,” he mumbled, looking away.

Jiwoo shakes his head, tightening his grip on Wooin’s hand. “We’re together anyways, now, aren’t we?” he asked, curiously, while staring up at Wooin. Jiwoo gets an idea and brings Wooin’s hand up to his face, kissing the back of it, while still holding his hand. Wooin immediately flushes into a deeper shade of red and Jiwoo chuckles.

“I love you, Jiwoo.”

“I love you too!”

Being together just feels so natural.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve never dated, had a crush on someone, been in love, whatever the deal is with romance, before. The confession scene was short and the response was just as short. How am I supposed to know what it’s like to have a crush? I continuously wrote how much a smile made someone in love, I don’t even fucking know, I didn't beta read this!
> 
> First of all, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story. I can't believe I managed to write at least 8000 words on this fanfic (I'm actually really proud of it). There were some things that I wished to add into the story but I wanted it to mainly focus on Jiwoo and Wooin’s relationship. Additionally, they weren’t necessary to add in and would ruin the pace of how I was writing it. I also wanted to get this over and done with considering that this is probably the longest fanfiction I have written so far and I was doing my best to naturally build up a confession scene so that it “feels so natural” (I’m laughing at my own pun; the confession scene was the shortest scene though). Then again, this wasn’t beta read, so if anytime in the future, I read this again and decided to edit it, there might be some scenes that weren’t originally there in the first draft.
> 
> I ended up writing this because there wasn’t enough fanfictions in the Eleceed fandom to read (there were originally 9 completed fanfictions when I began writing this) and I somehow got obsessed with the webtoon. I have a lot more ideas for this fandom so please be prepared to see more of me, LOL.
> 
> Nearly forgot to add this but please make sure to comment your opinion on this! Constructive criticism and ideas for future fanfictions are gladly encouraged and appreciated.


End file.
